FEELING frazzled after a long day at work? Don't pull into the drive through on the way home. Instead, pick up your phone, call your local Thai restaurant, and order some food to pick up on your way.

That's the advice from consumer watchdog Choice, who analysed the nutritional information for an average takeaway order, and came up with 10 tips for ordering healthier food.

Australians eat takeaway on average 2.5 times a week, adding more salt, sugar and saturated fat to their diets.

In addition to this statistic, "42 per cent of Australians eat out more than three times a week, so choosing the right option can make a big difference to your waistline," says Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey.

The good news is that takeaway food has come a long way from fried food, with Chinese, Italian, Thai, Indian and many other options now just a phone call away.

Choice found that Thai restaurants offer good, healthy choices when it comes to takeaway food. Salads are a great option, as is steamed fish and raw food such as rice paper rolls.

"Indian can be tricky for the health conscious, with many curries containing ghee, a type of clarified butter. When choosing a curry, steer away from coconut milk or creamy concoctions - you're better off with a tomato-based curry.

"It's also worth asking what cooking method is used. Food will have far less saturated fat when stir-fried in vegetable oil such as canola or sunflower rather than palm oil, coconut oil or animal fats," he said.

Choice's top 10 healthy takeaway tips

1. Avoid battered and fried foods

2. Opt for curries and soups that aren't creamy or coconut based

3. Choose a steamed dish if possible

4. Stir-fry dishes with lots of vegetables are a good option

5. Have one cup of white rice rather than the three to four you typically get to a serve

6. Opt for brown rice instead of white

7. Don't shy away from the salads

8. Avoid fried rice as it's high in kilojoules

9. Ask what oil your meal is cooked in and opt for canola or sunflower rather than palm oil, coconut oil or animal fat

10. Aim to have half your plate covered in veggies or salad, a quarter with protein such as meat or fish and a quarter with carbohydrate such as rice or pasta.

Comments on this story

Most Thai food is fried so it isn't the best choice and I've yet to come across an Asian take-away offering brown rice.

maccas for me of urbanite Posted at 6:17 AM February 07, 2014

Isn't the point of getting takeaway the chance to indulge in a high sugar/salt/fatty meal?
Where do the stats come from? I must mix in the wrong circles as I don't anyone who eats out 'more than three times a week' and/or has takeaway 'on average of 2.5 times a week'. I'm lucky if I eat out once a fortnight and/or have takeaway once a week!